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Su Yu did not show any signs of surprise.
His spiritual sense had long detected that Feng Kuang was different, but he still stayed with the guard team, choosing not to leave.
This aura, this vitality and blood power.
Su Yu could sense the intense vitality within Feng Kuang's body.
And it was even more violent, more ferocious.
"Old Kuang, this is Xiao Su," Zou Yun said, noticing Feng Kuang's unusual behavior. He immediately stepped forward, standing on tiptoe and holding Feng Kuang's shoulder, explaining.
He used his right hand to firmly hold Feng Kuang, urging him not to make things difficult for Su Yu in front of so many people.
No matter the reason, what if it's a misunderstanding?
Feng Kuang reined in his fierce demeanor and gave Su Yu a meaningful look.
"You're quite impressive."
Feng Kuang then returned to his room, and Song Zi walked over to Su Yu's side, patting him on the shoulder.
"Kid, you managed to stay calm without even blinking. Impressive."
He also noticed that Su Yu was acting a little differently, but he didn't say anything about it.
Whatever changes Su Yu had, that was Brother Kuang's business.
At least over the past two days, Song Zi had found Su Yu to be quite likable. Aside from occasionally making bold statements, he was approachable, unlike other geniuses who often had an air of arrogance.
When everyone else had left, Zou Yun pulled Su Yu toward Feng Kuang's room.
"Yu, Old Kuang's personality is a bit impulsive, but he's a good person. We, his brothers, are treated like family."
"At least his soul power is at level 60. Who are you?"
Feng Kuang's words left Zou Yun dumbfounded.
He looked around several times, confirming that there were only three people present.
He stared at Su Yu with wide eyes, then turned to Feng Kuang, eyes also wide open.
"Brother Kuang, but you're not from the Soul Ancestor either," Su Yu chuckled.
Although Feng Kuang didn't seem to know what was going on, his strength was no match for Su Yu, so there was no cause for concern.
In fact, Su Yu was beginning to sense something strange about Feng Kuang, and, like Zou Yun, he was curious to find out more.
Feng Kuang, however, stared intently at Su Yu.
"A 15-year-old Soul Emperor? That's unheard of on the entire continent."
At least, Feng Kuang had never heard of anyone becoming a Soul Emperor at the age of 15!
Even at Shrek Academy, even in the Inner Court, there had been no mention of such an achievement.
Feng Kuang was no stranger to the world; he had once been a legitimate Soul Saint before being crippled. He was familiar with many things on the continent.
However, after joining the guard team, he rarely paid attention to the outside world, focusing instead on developing the team, which was why he hadn't heard of Su Yu.
Had Su Yu performed impressively at the Soul Fighting Tournament?
Unless one of the major factions, who had the ability to recruit the tournament's participants, or someone close to them had personally seen it, who would have paid attention? Especially in the Three Kingdoms of Douluo.
"You're from Shrek?" Feng Kuang questioned.
From his tone, it was clear that he had a strong dislike for Shrek.
Zou Yun, having just learned that Su Yu was a Soul Emperor, was still in disbelief and was now filled with admiration.
Su Yu was a student of Shrek?
But to his surprise, Su Yu shook his head.
"Not all great soul masters come from Shrek."
Su Yu hadn't expected this to be the trigger, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Feng Kuang clapped his hands in approval.
"Well said!"
"Damn Shrek, a bunch of hypocrites, a garbage academy."
He muttered angrily, cursing Shrek repeatedly. When he saw that Su Yu didn't seem the slightest bit angry and instead had a look of agreement on his face, Feng Kuang laughed heartily.
"Haha, kid, I think I like you!"
Zou Yun, who had been watching from the side, was utterly confused.
Why does Old Kuang have such a deep grudge against Shrek?
Could it be that he went to Shrek before and got rejected?
Or did something else happen?
Also, if Su Yu is really a Soul Emperor, then what level of cultivation does Feng Kuang have to speak to him like this?
"Old Zou, don't look so shocked. I've told you, I'm crippled now, and I'm truly just a Soul Ancestor."
Zou Yun didn't know whether he should laugh or cry.
Crippled, and now a Soul Ancestor.
What was he like before he got crippled?
It must have been amazing.
So I really am just a weakling.
"Sigh, since you know now, I won't hide it anymore." Feng Kuang saw the curiosity in Zou Yun's eyes and decided to explain.
"My original name is Feng Kuang. I was a core disciple of the Body Sect. At the age of thirty, I broke through to Soul Saint. In a battle against an Evil Soul Master, all three of my ten-thousand-year soul rings exploded."
"You should know what happened then. Luckily, you found me and saved me, or else…"
Feng Kuang's explanation seemed detailed to Zou Yun, but to Su Yu, there were many gaps.
However, before Su Yu could ask further, Feng Kuang started talking about his grudge with Shrek.
"My martial soul is blood, and because it has attributes like violence, Shrek considered it an Evil Martial Soul. We had some conflicts because of that."
Blood martial soul?
Su Yu was surprised. No wonder Feng Kuang was a core disciple of the Body Sect—his martial soul was impressive.
He remembered Zou Yun boasting about Feng Kuang's perfect soul ring combinations.
A body martial soul that can achieve the best soul ring combination is considered an ideal start.
Most body martial souls are not particularly strong and require cultivation to grow. After all, a martial soul is a part of the body, and newly awakened soul masters have fragile bodies with innate soul power usually below level three.
For such a martial soul to reach level ten is already extremely difficult, and if the family conditions are poor, obtaining a hundred-year soul ring is even harder.
Feng Kuang's mention of conflicts clearly suggested that it wasn't just a verbal spat but something more substantial.
Otherwise, he wouldn't harbor such strong animosity toward Shrek.
"Humph, Shrek even has an Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul in their own system. Do they think nobody knows?"
Feng Kuang sneered, still resentful of how Shrek had labeled him as an Evil Soul Master.
"Brother Kuang, you might not know, but Shrek actually has a Soul Master with an Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, and she's a disciple of the Martial Soul Department's dean."
"Humph, that Ma Xiaotao, I know her."
Feng Kuang had heard of Ma Xiaotao's reputation while he was still in the Body Sect.
"Hehe, Brother Kuang, you still don't know everything." Su Yu grinned. "That Ma Xiaotao was hit by her opponent's soul tool at the last Star Luo City Soul Fighting Tournament, causing her Evil Fire to erupt and completely mutate into an Evil Martial Soul."
Feng Kuang laughed uproariously.
"Haha, I've never been an Evil Soul Master, but your Evil Fire Phoenix has turned into an Evil Martial Soul Master. Serves her right!"
In just a few words, Su Yu and Feng Kuang had managed to make Zou Yun's impression of Shrek plummet.
So the number one academy on the continent, Shrek, was involved in so many dirty deeds.
He suddenly wanted to hear more of Su Yu and Feng Kuang's gossip.
"Humph, you know quite a bit, kid." Feng Kuang narrowed his eyes and stared at Su Yu.
"I was just there to watch," Su Yu said calmly.
Feng Kuang seemed to have lost interest in Su Yu's identity.
"Your martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, so you must be from Tang Sect?"
"No."
Feng Kuang briefly questioned Su Yu about his background.
His questioning didn't go any deeper. He only confirmed that Su Yu wasn't cultivated by any particular faction.
He didn't even confirm anything about Mingde Hall.
Aside from Shrek, the various factions he inquired about seemed to be those with connections to the Crazy Operation Guard or were possibly rivals or enemies of the sects that collaborated with the guard.
"Kid, is your martial soul really just Blue Silver Grass?" Feng Kuang suddenly asked.
Su Yu was about to nod, but before he could, Feng Kuang "exposed" his true nature.
"Your blood power is too strong. Even as a Soul Emperor, and even if your martial soul is a mutated life-type, it's beyond normal. You've even directly condensed tangible blood energy."
After a brief analysis, Feng Kuang spoke again. "Are you a twin martial soul possessor?"
Seeing Su Yu about to deny it, Feng Kuang snorted and said, "You still deny it? Being cautious is a good thing, but there's no need to be overly cautious. I also have a body martial soul. Body martial souls are all from the same family. What could I possibly do to you?"
"I can already feel it. Your bones are different from others. When I use my mental power to sense you, your bones glow like fireflies in the night."
Only then did Su Yu realize the source of his suspicion.
Bones?
Since Feng Kuang mentioned it, Su Yu wondered if there was any chance to learn some techniques related to blood energy from him.
As for joining the Body Sect, Su Yu had no intention of doing so. But if he could learn their methods, he had no objections.
Secret techniques are meant for exchange; it's through sharing knowledge that one progresses faster. After all, those who bring the reputation of a secret technique to its peak are rarely the ones who possess the technique but rather the outsiders who acquire it.
"By the way, Brother Kuang, you mentioned your soul rings exploded. How exactly did that happen?" To avoid the awkward situation of being asked to join the Body Sect and having to refuse, Su Yu quickly changed the topic, asking a question in return.
"Of course they exploded. What else could it be?"
"Exploded soul rings?"
"It wasn't the 'exploding rings' technique; they were just destroyed." Feng Kuang corrected himself. "Three years ago, I fought against an Evil Soul Master at the level of a Soul Saint. After a tough battle, I finally defeated him, but his soul rings exploded in the process."
"When I saw he couldn't win, and given his strange abilities, there was no escape. I had no choice but to go down with him and explode together."
Su Yu found something odd in Feng Kuang's story, but still, being able to fight at the same level as an Evil Soul Master and suppressing him was impressive.
A Soul Saint level opponent.
"Brother Kuang, your soul rings were really completely destroyed?"
Feng Kuang nodded and said, "My martial soul is blood. I could vaguely sense the connection between the soul rings and the martial soul. It was because of this connection that I managed to destroy my soul rings. But it's definitely different from the 'exploding rings' technique. My soul ring's origin was destroyed, and it can't be recovered. Even my soul power regressed to the level of a Soul Ancestor."
Now, aside from his blood power and mental strength, everything else about Feng Kuang had regressed to the Soul Ancestor level.
It was only because of his strong blood energy, blood martial soul, and tough vitality that he managed to survive.
Su Yu had been receiving startling revelations from Feng Kuang all along.
He had been mistaken for a twin martial soul possessor, with the second soul being his bones.
Hearing that Feng Kuang could destroy his soul rings, Su Yu thought he might be able to learn techniques for destroying soul rings, possibly leading him to discover the "exploding ring" method.
But it seemed the fundamental principle was completely different.
However, Feng Kuang's method of "explosion" made Su Yu feel that there might be a way to develop another secret technique—*Soul Ring Replacement*.
"Replacement of soul rings."
"Brother Kuang, haven't you ever tried to absorb new soul rings?"
Feng Kuang surely had considered this, but there was another troubling issue that had been holding him back.
"When my original source was damaged, not only did the soul power from the last three soul rings decrease, but my overall soul power also dropped a lot. Right now, I'm only at the forty-fifth level of soul power. My daily training is barely enough to keep my soul power from further declining, and returning to level fifty is almost impossible."
Su Yu shook his head, pointing out Feng Kuang's misunderstanding.
"Brother Kuang, you may have made a mistake. You can absorb the fifth, sixth, and seventh soul rings. Your martial soul and body have already gone through that process. Now that the soul rings are gone, logically speaking, you should be able to replace them."
"I heard that Tang San from ten thousand years ago also replaced his soul rings. He directly reabsorbed them."
According to Su Yu's research on martial souls, the position of a soul ring itself represents an unlocking of a bottleneck—these positions already exist in the martial soul.
Even if a soul ring explodes and disappears, the positions for the rings still remain.
Moreover, before Feng Kuang's soul rings were destroyed, he was a Soul Saint. His seven soul rings had already formed a powerful synergy, stabilizing and strengthening one another as a cohesive whole. Since he was still alive and the first four rings hadn't been affected, the positions for the fifth, sixth, and seventh soul rings shouldn't have suffered irreparable damage.
This was the first time Feng Kuang had heard such a theory.
"You mean… even at less than level fifty, I can still reabsorb soul rings?"
"Yes, I suggest you give it a try. Maybe it will work. Of course, this is about replacing your soul rings, not absorbing them the usual way. You should try to absorb the soul rings from the same types of soul beasts that originally occupied those positions. This gives you the best chance to replace your lost rings."
The soul ring positions were originally linked, so any form of forceful sacrifice or explosion would have affected them as well. These positions were already modified by the original soul rings. If the spirit and energy of the beast and soul rings aren't compatible, it's likely the soul rings wouldn't be absorbed.
Su Yu's reasoning made sense, but Feng Kuang's previously hopeful expression quickly vanished, replaced by a deep frown.
"Damn it. If I had known, I never would have absorbed the Titan Snow Demon's soul ring."
Su Yu: "…"
Feng Kuang was indeed bold, and his luck was extraordinary to have coincidentally absorbed the soul ring of the Titan Snow Demon.
In the heart of the extreme northern regions, in a central circle of a particular tribe, there were at least three hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts and a twenty-thousand-year-old Titan Snow Demon King.
Every individual in that group possessed near-ultimate ice and power attributes. At least one of the three hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts had reached the pinnacle of one attribute, and the Titan Snow Demon King was one of the three great kings of the extreme north.
It was a terrifying group, and Su Yu couldn't think of any way other than sheer luck to have slain these soul beasts and absorbed their rings.
"Brother Kuang, you could still replace the other two soul rings," Su Yu suggested.
Feng Kuang's face was still not looking good.
"My sixth soul ring is from the Great Strength Diamond Bear, and my seventh is from a fifty-thousand-year-old mutated Fire Dragon, a blood-dragon variant that exploded with blood-type power."
Su Yu fell silent.
Indeed, replacing soul rings, especially with ten-thousand-year-old beasts, was no simple task.
This was an extravagant lineup of soul beasts.
(End of Chapter)